Editor’s
Note
Americans are born believing that technology will continue to make their
lives better, far into the future. Perhaps that helps explain why we
have such high expectations of the scientists and engineers who back
up our military forces. We want them to experiment, take risks and keep
coming up with ingenious ideas that will enable U.S. tactical units to
be faster, quieter, more effective and safer.
One way to achieve that is to build machines that will do the fighting
for us. Many Sea Power readers are familiar with the Joint Unmanned Combat
Air System, a future fleet of unmanned airplanes to handle highly dangerous
tactical missions such as the suppression of enemy air defenses. But
that is only one of the sea services’ experiments with machines
that will take the fight to our adversaries in years to come.
The underwater realm is a far better environment for robots or guided
craft capable of raining fire on an enemy. Even today’s huge Trident
ballistic-missile submarines are difficult to see or hear as they prowl
the world’s oceans. Imagine probing the depths for a 10-foot robot
powered by batteries or advanced propulsion devices, armed with mini-torpedoes
and capable of autonomous operations.
The Navy and other agencies are experimenting with several such craft.
The Loki is a concept for an undersea fighter that would launch from
a mother sub to hunt and kill enemy vessels. The larger Manta is a prototype
for a fighting robot that would carry up to 14 tons of munitions and
other cargo. A small company in Durham, N.C., is offering a 3-foot robot
that might be sent forth in swarms to protect manned vessels or gather
intelligence.
The idea of deploying huge fleets of robots able to “think” for
themselves remains a distant dream. But many naval scientists are demonstrating
that they are right where they should be — on the leading edge
of innovation. Some of the capabilities expected of futuristic vessels
such as Loki and Manta will be revealed in the Navy’s forthcoming
master plan for underwater vehicles, adroitly covered in this issue by
Associate Editor Hunter C. Keeter (p. 18).
Unmanned vehicles also will be doing more mine warfare missions in the
not-so-distant future. On page 16, Special Correspondent Otto Kreisher
reports that after a hiatus in the post-Soviet era, mine warfare is undergoing
a resurgence. Sea service officials have written a new mine warfare road
map for the future, obtained additional resources and plan two major
sea trials next year. A key turning point on that road is to use machines
rather than people for mine-clearing missions.
Managing Editor Richard R. Burgess reports that even relatively ancient
technologies are getting a careful look by Navy leaders searching for
a tactical advantage. The heliplane, based on gyro technology of the
1950s, is a candidate as a sea-going bus to ferry troops and materiel
from ship to shore (p. 12).
Our Interview this month is with Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr., who
has one of the Pentagon’s toughest jobs. As NATO Supreme Allied
Commander, Transformation, and Commander, Joint Forces Command, Giambastiani
has the task of improving the ability of military forces to act in an
integrated fashion. That means he is involved in changing the way people
think about themselves, their agencies and their place in the nation’s
national security scheme.
We’ve packed this issue with news and information about the future
of the sea services, and we hope you find it enjoyable and provocative.
As always, thanks for reading Sea Power.
Richard C. Barnard
Editor in Chief
We are eager to get your feedback. Contact me at rbarnard@navyleague.org
or by mail at Sea Power, 2300 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201-3308.
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